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We encourage your questions. Here are top questions from investors like you.

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How much does it cost to work with Schwab?

There is no fee to open or maintain an account with Schwab and most accounts have no minimums. There is also no charge to work with a Schwab Financial Consultant. Although other account fees, fund expenses, and brokerage commissions may apply, we believe in keeping our fees low as a way to provide greater value to you. In fact, our fees are some of the lowest in the industry. We strive to keep fees low so that you have more to invest.

Our account transfer specialists can assist you every step of the way. Open a new Schwab account or log in to your existing account here, or call 866-855-9102.

What We Offer

What kind of investment products does Schwab offer?

Our wide selection of investment products provides you with the numerous choices in building a diversified portfolio to help reach your goals.

Investment Product

What it is

Why you may want it

Mutual Funds

A mutual fund is an investment vehicle made up of a pool of funds from many investors that buys stocks, bonds, and other securities.

Mutual funds make it easy to diversify your portfolio and get professional management, so you don’t have to research, buy, and track every security in the fund.

Stocks

A stock represents a share in the ownership of a company, including a claim on the company’s earnings and assets. As such, stockholders are partial owners of the company.

Stocks are fundamental to nearly every portfolio and have historically outperformed most other investments over time (past performance cannot guarantee future results).

ETFs

An ETF, or exchange-traded fund, is an investment fund or portfolio of securities that holds assets like stocks, bonds, or commodities, generally designed to track an index. Unlike mutual funds, which are bought from or redeemed by the fund company for that day’s closing net asset value (NAV), ETFs are bought and sold at market value, trading on an exchange throughout the day.

In addition to adding diversity to your portfolio, ETFs typically have higher daily liquidity and lower fees than mutual fund shares, making them an attractive alternative for individual investors.

Options

An option is a financial derivative that represents a contract sold by one party (the option writer) to another party (the option holder). The contract offers the buyer the right, but not the obligation, to buy (call) or sell (put) a security or other financial asset at an agreed-upon price (the strike price) until or upon a specific date (expiration date).

Options can provide more-flexible strategies than stocks.

Futures

Futures are financial contracts obligating the buyer to purchase an asset or the seller to sell an asset, such as a physical commodity or a financial instrument, at a predetermined future date and price.

Futures can provide a fast and cost-effective way for you to access financial and commodity markets around the clock.

Closed-End Funds

A closed-end fund (CEF), or closed-ended fund, is a pooled investment fund with a portfolio managed by an investment advisor. CEF’s issue a fixed number of shares that trade on an exchange and are not redeemable from the fund. Unlike open-end funds (i.e., mutual funds), new shares in a closed-end fund are not created by managers to meet demand from investors.

Closed-end funds offer investors diversification along with the potential for regular income distributions.

Bonds, CDs, and Other Fixed Income

Fixed income investments are types of investments that seek to provide interest payments at regular intervals.

Fixed income investments can give you a reasonably dependable income stream while also providing portfolio diversification, capital preservation, and (in some cases) potential tax benefits.

Global investing can provide more portfolio diversification and has the potential for investment opportunities in emerging markets around the world.

Investors should consider carefully information contained in the prospectus, including investment objectives, risks, charges, and expenses. You can request a prospectus by calling 800-435-4000. Please read the prospectus carefully before investing.

Money market funds are neither insured nor guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. Although certain funds may seek to preserve the value of your investment at $1.00 per share, it is possible to lose money by investing in the fund.

Investment returns will fluctuate and are subject to market volatility, so that an investor’s shares, when redeemed or sold, may be worth more or less than their original cost. Unlike mutual funds, shares of ETFs are not individually redeemable directly with the ETF. Shares are bought and sold at market price, which may be higher or lower than the net asset value (NAV).

Futures trading carries a high level of risk and is not suitable for all investors. Certain requirements must be met to trade futures. Please read the Risk Disclosure Statement for Futures and Options before considering any futures transactions.

Fixed income securities are subject to increased loss of principal during periods of rising interest rates. Fixed-income investments are subject to various other risks including changes in credit quality, market valuations, liquidity, prepayments, early redemption, corporate events, tax ramifications and other factors.

International investments involve additional risks, which include differences in financial accounting standards, currency fluctuations, geopolitical risk, foreign taxes and regulations, and the potential for illiquid markets. Investing in emerging markets may accentuate these risks.

What are the tools & resources offered to traders like me?

Trading with Schwab means getting the innovative tools, premium insights, robust education, and dedicated specialist support of Schwab Trading Services™—all of which help give you what you need to make informed and timely trading decisions. And all with no trade minimums or platform fees (other account fees, fund expenses, and brokerage commissions may apply; see our Pricing guide for details).

Trade Stocks ETFs, Mutual Funds, and Options

Experience high-quality trade executions and use convenient online order tools including the All In One Trade Ticket®.

Rely on Dedicated Support

We believe investing should be done on your terms. So even if you want to manage your investments yourself, you can access our expert research, insights, platforms, and service specialists to help you when you need it.

Make all the decisions on your own

Take advantage of our online tools, extensive research, expert insights, education opportunities, and dedicated support to help you make informed and timely decisions about your investments.

Rely on a professional when you need to

Meet with a Schwab Financial Consultant to evaluate your current portfolio and, if needed, help you make adjustments so you’ll have a plan that addresses your long- and short-term goals.

Call us at 866-855-9102 for 24/7 investing support and to learn more about how we can help you reach your financial goals.

Why should I bank with Schwab Bank?

You’ll pay no ATM fees1 or transaction fees2 and have no account minimums while banking anytime, anywhere with Schwab Mobile. The Schwab Bank High Yield Investor Checking® account is linked to a Schwab One® brokerage account so you can easily manage both accounts with a single login. You can even link to Apple Pay® to make purchases with your iPhone® 6, iPhone 6 Plus, or iPhone 7.

There are no monthly account service fees, you’ll earn interest on your balance, and your account is FDIC-insured up to $250,000.3 You’ll receive free standard checks and a Visa® Platinum Debit Card once the account has been funded.

Open a Schwab Bank High Yield Investor Checking account or learn more.

Apple and iPhone are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries.

1. Unlimited ATM fee rebates apply to cash withdrawals using the Schwab Bank Visa® Platinum debit card (also referred to as a "check card" or "Visa check card") wherever it is accepted. ATM fee rebates do not apply to any fees other than fees assessed for using an ATM to withdraw cash from your Schwab Bank account. Schwab Bank makes its best effort to identify those ATM fees eligible for rebate, based on information it receives from Visa and ATM operators. In the event that you have not received a rebate for a fee that you believe is eligible, please call a Schwab Bank Client Service Specialist for assistance at 888-403-9000. Schwab Bank reserves the right to modify or discontinue the ATM fee rebate at any time.

2. Schwab Bank does not assess foreign transaction fees (i.e., a fee to convert US Dollars to local currency) to debit cardholders.

3. Funds deposited at Charles Schwab Bank are insured, in aggregate, up to $250,000 based on account ownership type, by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC).

Schwab Bank High Yield Investor Checking accounts are available only as linked accounts with Schwab One® accounts. The Schwab One brokerage account has no minimum balance requirements, and there is no requirement to fund this account, when it is opened with a linked High Yield Investor Checking account.

How we Help

How can Schwab manage my investments for me?

At Schwab, you have access to a wide range of investment management services to help you reach your goals. And you’ll have access to a variety of investment strategies, investment advice, and the ability to regularly monitor and rebalance your portfolio.

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Charles Schwab received the highest numerical score in the J.D. Power 2016-2018 Full Service Investor Satisfaction Study. 2018 study based on 4,419 total responses from 18 firms measuring opinions of investors who used full-service investment institutions, surveyed November-December 2017. Your experiences may vary. Visit jdpower.com.